Ellen Hughes-Cromwick

Ellen is Senior Visiting Fellow for the Climate and Energy program at Third Way, a think tank in Washington DC. She built her career as Chief Global Economist at Ford Motor Company, providing critical insights on the global economy and finance. Ellen led a team developing strategy and 10-year business plans, while delivering macroeconomic analysis and forecasting that shaped production programming, long-term projections, and decisions on product cadence, volume, and pricing.

As Chief Economist at the US Department of Commerce during the Obama Administration, she advanced initiatives to improve data quality, measure the digital economy, and expand workforce development, manufacturing, trade, and investment. Ellen also supported the development of the Administration’s economic forecast and represented the Administration at the OECD Economic Outlook meeting.

As Senior Visiting Fellow, Ellen is advancing new ideas on US competitiveness in clean energy technologies, drawing on her supply chain expertise from her time at Ford. She served on the Biden Transition Team and the White House EV working group, shaping policy recommendations on critical minerals, battery components, charging infrastructure, and EV manufacturing.

Ellen can be seen on several media outlets, and is an expert on monetary policy, clean energy industrial strategy, and the latest trends in clean energy investment in the U.S.

She earned her master’s degree in international development and Ph.D. in economics at Clark University and concluded a 6-year term on the Clark Board of Trustees in 2023. When not working, Ellen is often hiking with her husband, enjoying family life with her kids, or hitting the road for another run.

Contact Ellen at [email protected]

Filters

  • All Topics66
  • Climate and Energy65
  • Economy26
  • Transportation24
  • Competitiveness and Commercial Diplomacy8
  • Industrial4
  • International3
  • Politics3
  • Clean Energy Innovation3
  • Clean Energy Finance3
  • Carbon Management2
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Memo
Published July 3, 2025

Summer 2025 Update: Tracking the Growth of the EV Industry in the US

Photo of Alexander Laska
Deputy Director for Transportation & Innovation, Climate and Energy Program
Photo of Ellen Hughes-Cromwick
Senior Visiting Fellow for Climate and Energy Program
Blog
Published June 23, 2025

Slashing Clean Energy Credits Could Cripple American Manufacturing and Energy Jobs—Especially in Red States

Photo of John Hebert
Senior Policy Advisor for Transportation, Climate and Energy Program
Photo of Ellen Hughes-Cromwick
Senior Visiting Fellow for Climate and Energy Program
Blog
Published May 12, 2025

Doing the Math on Trump’s Auto Tariffs

Photo of Ellen Hughes-Cromwick
Senior Visiting Fellow for Climate and Energy Program
Photo of Ryan Fitzpatrick
Senior Director of Domestic Policy, Climate and Energy Program
Report
Published May 8, 2025

Financing Advanced Energy Technologies

Photo of Ellen Hughes-Cromwick
Senior Visiting Fellow for Climate and Energy Program
Photo of Mary Sagatelova
Senior Advocacy Advisor
Photo of Ryan Norman
Senior Policy Advisor for Climate and Energy Finance
Photo of Catherine Grossman
Special Advisor
Memo
Published September 30, 2024

Reopening and Expansion of Palisades Power Plant to Rejuvenate the Southwest Michigan Economy

Photo of Ellen Hughes-Cromwick
Senior Visiting Fellow for Climate and Energy Program

Team

Staff

Board of Trustees

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Deputy Director for Nuclear
Photo of Todd Allen
Senior Visiting Fellow
Photo of Sufia Alam
Senior Communications Advisor
Photo of Jenny Archer
Senior Philanthropy Officer
Photo of Cris Arocho
Senior Grants Accountant
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Deputy Director of Learning & Organizational Development
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Director, Center for Entrepreneurial Opportunity
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Senior Manager of Business Operations
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Deputy Director of Communications for the Climate & Energy Program
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Office and Facilities Associate

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